What may have gone unnoticed is that South Koreans have now joined the Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipinos and (Asian) Indians in a similar diaspora from their respective Asian homelands into many countries around the world, including the United States.
But in case it has slipped past your radar, then all you have to do is to ask for the name of the friendly store and other business owner in and around your town. If it is Choi, Park, Pak, Kim, Yi, Jung, Chung, Jeong, Cheong or variants of these names, then you could almost be sure that they have originated from Korea.
Being Asian myself, I generally do not have to know their name for I have an ability to tell one Asian from another. If you grew up in Europe, you may possess the same proficiency as you could probably tell who came from Spain, Italy, England, Germany, France and other European nations. The Hispanics and the people from the African continent would have a similar aptitude as far as being able to tell people apart at least those from their part of the world.
What is amazing is that in less than one generation (about 30-40 years), the Korean population in the U.S. has grown from a few thousand to over two million. And they have generally amassed themselves and concentrated in the States of California, New York and New Jersey.
Korean Stores
To illustrate, just in our area, we buy groceries at a Korean Supermarket. My cellphone repair shop owner is Korean. Our martial arts gym is owned and taught by a Korean. Our pet’s groomer is Korean. My barber is Korean. My wife’s hairdresser is Korean, my son and I go there from time to time as well. Our dry cleaners are Korean. When we wash bulky and oversize items, we go to a Korean-owned Laundromat. Korean and even Japanese and Chinese Restaurants in and around our area are owned and operated by Koreans, even the frozen yogurt and frozen drink stores are Korean owned. Most Christian Churches have Korean Writings underneath it and many services are preached in the Korean language. And yes, some of my son’s school friends are Korean or have at least one parent who is Korean.
Korean Products
What may also be unfamiliar to many is that most products we see and actually use are actually Korean made. And so that is another version of this so-called Korean movement.
Lotte cookies, candy and chewing gums are made by the Korean based Lotte Group. It is now the third largest chewing gum manufacturer in the world.
Take a look at your DVD, Blu-ray player, your TV, your camera, your tablet or any similar electronic device, if it is Samsung or LG, then those are Korean made as well.
If you have an Android smartphone then is could very well be a Samsung, an LG or other lesser known brands such as Pantech.
Korean Cars
Regarding automobiles, some people may still not be aware that what they may think to be Japanese are actually Korean cars — among these are Hyundia, Kia, Daewoo, SsangYong and CT&T. And among the more popular models are the Sonata, Santa Fe, Tucson, Optima, Accent, Rio, Elantra, Genesis, Equus, Sportage, Sorento, and the Soul.
And if you live near seaports or if you see shipping containers every day, you will be well familiar with the name Hanjin, which is easily in the top ten largest container shipping and transport companies in the world.
Korean Athletes
And lastly, Korea is even exporting their athletes.
In the LPGA Tour there is Michelle Wie. In the NHL, there is Jim Paek, in the NFL, there is Pittsburgh Steeler and MVP Hines Ward. In the MLB, there is Chan Ho Park, and in MMA there is UFC Champion BJ Penn among many other outstanding Korean professional and amateur athletes.
Other Korean Personalities
And of course aside from athletes, there are notable Koreans who have permeated the American academe, the political arena, the judiciary, the arts and the fields of show business, religion, science and technology and many others.
In fact, some days you should ask yourself how could you have missed not noticing all these before. Well, sometimes it is because all of these have happened and are indeed happening out in the open right before our very eyes, and it is hard to actually see that, if you know what I mean. We do not normally look for things that aren’t hidden and worse is that we may actually be looking at something day in and day out but in fact we may not be really seeing what is actually there. Yes, not until it is too late. Annyonghi kasayo.